Harry Potter and the Squid Sisters
by Yakuzaman5
Summary: Octavio, in his desperation to rid the world of all Squid Kind, takes desperate measures. Using a mysterious artifact, he sends himself and the Squid Sisters back in time. Before Turf Wars, before the dawn of Civilization, there was a Boy Who Lived.
1. Chapter 1

Huh, there's no Splatoon X Harry Potter fanfics out there yet.

Let's change that!

…

Callie felt herself shy away from the purple Ink in front of her. Roller in hand, she took a step back and stared down the opposing Octoling.

"Out of our way, Cuphead!"

The Octoling screamed as a blast of ink caught it from behind. Marie lowered her charger, taking a tentative step forward.

"Where are Agents 3 and 4?"

"Making out, probably." Callie said, grinning. "You know how they are when they're alone."

Marie rolled her eyes. Unlike her cousin, she did not think Agent 3 and 4 made a particularly endearing couple. They fought too much for one thing.

The Squid Sisters, also known as Agents 1 and 2 of the Squidbeak Splatoon, were decked out in full hero suit gear. This mission called for all four active members to take up arms. It had been the first time they had all been in the field together since Agent 4 had joined some months previously, and Callie had been recovered from the Octarians.

This time, they had taken the fight to the Octarians themselves in traditional, four on four warfare. But unlike the splatfests above, the game was unregulated by any sort of rules or judges. Down here, it was anything goes.

Anything goes, that is, until the recovery point itself was captured, and a splat meant certain death.

"Come on, Callie." Marie urged. "Stop daydreaming and let's get moving."

Callie smiled at her, nodding energetically. "Right." She said. "Let's show them what for!"

Callie darted ahead of her, Roller firmly in hand, as Marie followed closer behind. This was not a turf war, so Callie did not lay down ink out of fear of giving away their position. The place seemed unusually colorless for a battle. But then again, this wasn't a game. The fact of the two societies rested on the results of this battle.

The Two Squids found nothing of interest until they reached a large, open area with a large dome in the middle. Callie was strongly reminded of Humpback Track as she looked at it. The raised platform in the middle housed an odd object that neither squid had ever seen before.

"What is it?" Callie whispered, stepping forward.

It seemed to be a kind of strange ball. They could see strange objects and places floating around inside. Neither Squid knew what to make of it.

Callie reached forward to touch it, but Marie slapped her hand away. "Idiot." She snapped. "It could be dangerous."

"But it's so pretty…"

"We need to find that new weapon of theirs. We have no time to be looking at trinkets."

Callie groaned, and shook her head as if to protest, but it was then that purple ink shot at them!

"Get down!'

The squids, by instinct, whirled around to face their attackers. Three Octolings, each armed, were splatting their way up towards them, all from different directions.

Marie grimaced. "This doesn't look good." She murmured. She cast a look behind her, towards the ball. "Be careful not to touch it." She warned, the grip on her charger tightening. "We don't know what that-"

"Oh, but soon you will."

The girls shrieked as thick purple ink suddenly shot up around them, through holes in the ground that neither of them had noticed moments before. The girls quickly got over their surprise and readied themselves.

And then the floor behind them opened.

The girls whirled around to face the new arrival, and were not surprised to find their enemy.

"Octavio." Marie greeted, almost immediately taking aim at his exposed head. "Nice to splat you."

She fired. The ball of ink went soaring straight at the Octarian's face, before swerving off to the side. Marie frowned, confused.

"Is this your new weapon…?"

"Of a sort." Octavio said, sounding unbearably smug. "Ah, Agents 1 and 2… I cannot even begin to tell you how pleased I am at your arrival."

"Pleased?"

Callie grinned, raising her roller. "So you want us to splat you, is that it?" She asked, as she brandished the weapon in front of her. "Well, I am very willing to oblige…"

Octavio snickered. "Ah, girls, girls… have you not realized yet? I led you down here."

The girls froze, confusion on their faces.

"You…. led us down here?" Marie asked, sounding confused. "What do you mean?"

"I wanted you to find me here. In those place." Octavio said, waving a tentacle in front of the ball carelessly. "To be here to witness…. History."

He chuckled.

"History?" Callie repeated. "what do you mean?"

Octavio whirled his floating chair around to the ball. "I have fought many battles with you squids, and have found myself the loser each time." He said. "Due to our loss all those years ago, we have never been able to recover our culture or society. That crushing loss has stripped us of any pride or strength of character. We have reached the point where our best and brightest youth are fleeing to the surface, desperate to live among you squids."

He raised a tentacle towards the thing on the pedestal. "I will not see that happen!" He cried. "I will change history itself if I must!"

He turned to face them again. "And you, the Grandchildren of my enemy, will be the ones to grow old and witness how Octopus kind lead this world into a new age!"

He whirled back again and raised the ball.

"Great Time Orb!" He called. "Take me back to a time before Inklings ruled this world. While the Earth was still clean from their filth, a world that will soon play host to all octopus kind!"

The thing grew with a brilliant light. The Squids Sisters, the Female Octolings from behind the wall of Ink, and Octavio himself were drawn into the light, to an age long past.

…

Rubeus Hagrid was spending his last days at Hogwarts going over the caretaker duties to Professor Grubbly-Plank, who would be filling in for him while he was gone over the summer.

"Now, ye gotta be careful when dealing with centaurs. They don't much fancy being talked down to, see. You gotta respect them. Let them know they're better than you."

Professor Grubbly-Plank nodded. Despite having actually completed her tenure at Hogwarts and having travelled the world studying magical beasts, she had nothing but a vast wealth of respect for Hagrid and his talents with animals. Although she was well aware that students often feared the creatures he showed off, she knew that he was simply still adjusting to his position. As an animal handler and caretaker, he was unmatched. She had no doubt he could raise a dragon all on his own if he truly wanted to. No one was better suited to his position, despite his lack of formal education.

"Perhaps we should meet with them, before you leave." She suggested. "So that they know who I am."

"Nah, better not. Chances are they already know. They'll think yeh're just trying to act as if you're full of yehself. Best let them be."

She nodded, taking the advice to heart.

The duo stepped in front of Hagrid's hut. The lake in front of them was glittering beautifully.

"Where are you travelling to, Hagrid?" She asked curiously. "For your holiday?"

"For me…?"

He looked down, embarrassed. He did not want to see. But Professor Grubbly-Plank smiled knowingly. "You are spending time with Madame Maxime, I see." She said. "Will you be visiting here in France?"

"Well… not in France, no…."

She almost felt like snickering. He looked so embarrassed. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you two are getting alo-"

The bright flash of light took them both by surprise. Hagrid, almost instinctively, grabbed her and yanked her off her feet. Not for the first time, She marveled at the sheer strength of him. She was not a small woman, but he could throw her around like a rag doll with a single hand if he truly wanted to. T

They quickly hid behind a tree, letting their hearts settle, as they peered out over the lake. "What was that?" Professor Grubbly-Plank asked. "Wha-"

"Something's down there." Hagrid said. To her horror, he stepped out behind the trees and stomped down to the lake. Professor Grubbly-Plank, reluctantly, followed him.

There, laying down on the lake shoreline, were two things that, at a distance, looked awfully like young girls, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years of age. But as they got closer…

"What are these?" Professor Grubbly Plank breathed.

The girls did not have hair. Instead they had long, tentacles that sprouted from their heads. Each was tied in a different style.

"I don't know." Hagrid said, sounding amazed. "I've never seem anything like 'em."

He looked down at the water. "Is that blood?"

Grubbly-Plank looked, and saw that a faint stream of liquid was visible in the water. "Quick, get them out of the water!"

Hagrid, before she had even stopped talking, bent down and carried the one with short white hair tentacles further ashore, onto the grass. Grubbly Planky waved her wand, and the black girl was lifted off the ground. He tentacles fell down behind her back as if they were long strands of hairs.

They flipped the girls over, and Grubbly Plank immediately began looking them over. "Hmm…" She muttered, as she touched and probed them. "Still alive."

She knew nothing about these creatures, but she could tell that much. They were both breathing, after all. Inwardly she began taking notes about their physiology. Outwardly, they appeared very similar to people. But there were odd ends that normal people would not have. The tentacles were the most striking, but a quick medical examination showed that the girls were nothing like people, especially on the inside. Grubbly Plank touched a wrist, searching for a pulse, and squeezed the arm like a can of toothpaste. The girls had no bones, other than their teeth, of which they had small fangs.

"We need to identify them before we can get them help." Grubbly Plank said, taking charge of the situation. "I'll speak with Dumbledore… could you speak with the Merperson chieftain? They may have an idea of where they came from."

Hagrid nodded, and Professor Grubbly Plank, with a wave of her wand, conjured a pair of stretchers and lifted the girls into them. Off they went, into the castle. First stop, the hospital wing.

….

"Albus, I have never seen creatures like this in all of my days."

"No one has, Minerva. Wilhelmina has already flooed experts."

"Creatures in our lake that we've never heard of before? Albus, could it be-"

"Let us not jump to any conclusions, Minerva."

Marie groaned, raising her head to her head. The voices that had been bothering here stopped, immediately after she had.

"Thanks." She garbled, unable to even open her eyes properly. She lay her head back down again.

Then, to her annoyance, the whispers started once again.

"She spoke!"

"Thanks?" For what?"

"Let us ask…."

Marie was in the middle of that dreamy, hazelike state where she still felt asleep, but she could sense the approach of someone nearing her bedside.

"Excuse me." The voice said. It was warm and friendly. "Are you awake?"

"Grandpa, stop it…."

She shook herself out of her reverie. No… that was not Cap'n Cuttlefish's voice…

She blinked again, her golden eyes flashing in the light. The group around her bed, gasped at the sight of her. Marie groaned, and then entered angry celebrity mode.

"Who let you people into my home?" She demanded, her voice raised. "Do you know who I-"

She faltered, as she raised her hand to her lips in surprise. This was not her home.

And these people… were not squids.

"Greetings." The Old Man in front of her said warmly. "I hope we didn't disturb you."

Marie stared at him, openmouthed, for once in her life at a loss for words.

"Where am I?" She asked immediately. "Who are you?" Her eyes flashed, suddenly becoming angry. "Where's Callie?"

"Your friend?"

The man stepped aside, and Marie let a breath of relief wash through her. Sitting there, on the bed across from them, was her partner in crime.

She tenderly slid out of bed and stepped over to her, looking down at her slumbering form. She looked unharmed, merely asleep.

She turned around, glaring at the old man and his companions, as she placed her hand on her hips. "That's one question down, old man." She said. "But you better answer the others, and quick."

The woman behind him stepped forward, looking stern. "Listen here, young lady-"

"No, no, Minerva." The man said hastily, holding out his hand to stop her. "She's frightened and confused. Please, let her speak her mind."

He looked towards her. His eyes had a strange sort of twinkle in them. His eyes looked nothing like inkling eyes. And his tentacles weren't tentacles at all.

"Please, Miss. Let us introduce ourselves before we go any further." He put his hand forward, smiling warmly. "My name is Albus Dumbledore." I am the headmaster of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and Wizardry."

Marie's mouth tightened into a line as she stared down at his hand, wondering whether it was some kind of trick. Eventually, she relented and gently took it. "My name is… Marie." She said. "The more popular half of the Squid Sisters."

"The Squid Sisters?"

"Our duet. We're singers. Have you never heard of us? "

"I'm sorry, but no."

She was used to older people not knowing who she was, or getting her confused with Callie, but this was different. This man seemed to know nothing about either of them. "Where am I, Mr. Dumbledore?" She asked, thinking it best to be polite. She gently took steps backward to her bed, and sat down at it. "What is this… Hogwarts?"

"It is a school, where strange and wonderful things happen every day." He told her. She groaned.

"Really, old man?"

Behind Dumbledore, the woman raised an objection again, but Dumbledore quieted her with a wave.

"That's right." He told her. "Have you never heard of Hogwarts?"

"No, never."

The two stared at each other, and Marie was again starting to wonder how she had gotten here. Instead of waiting for him to speak again, she bent her head over, deep in thought.

She felt tired again, all of a sudden. "Please, let this be a bad dream…" She thought aloud, as she lay back on the bed. Before long, she had fallen asleep again.

The group all stared at her, open mouthed. "Well." Minerva said, sounding amazed. "That was something."

"It was indeed." Dumbledore said, his voice quiet. "It was indeed."

….

A/N

Wow, a 2500 word chapter for something I just came up with today? Impressive, considering my work ethic. Anyway, I would love to hear your feedback on this since this set up has literally NEVER been done before. It's the first of its kind! That means something, right?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews and enthusiasm guys! I'll try and keep up a good pace.

…

Callie and Marie, following a long recovery period, had been immediately taken to Dumbledore's office. Professor McGonagall led them there herself. Despite her mixed feelings about the mysterious appearance of the Squid Sisters, she found herself endlessly amused by the reaction they had to the castle around them.

Callie could not stop looking at each and every one of the paintings that lined the walls, poking and prodding each one. Each of the occupants were quick to voice their displeasure, but one, apparently of a man who had spent his life studying magical sea creatures, followed along as best as he was able, scribbling furiously on his piece of parchment.

"Callie, please." Marie said exasperatedly, trying to mask her own awe and wonder at their surroundings. "Leave the pictures alone."

"But they're moving, Marie!" Callie protested, eyes wide. "These are just pictures, but they're moving!"

Callie had always been the artsy one. She had even represented Art for a splatfest they had hosted once. Marie shook her head, trying to keep her head on straight.

"How is it done?" Callie asked McGonagall curiously. "Is that something you teach here?"

McGonagall shook her head. The girl had been pounding her with questions ever since she woke up. "I am the Transfiguration professor." She said. "You would have to ask Professor Snape for specifics about the moving picture potion. I understand that it's quite simple to make."

"I'll ask Professor Snape then." Callie said, nodding furiously. "Where is this person?"

"Callie, slow down." Marie told her. "You're giving me a headache."

Callie did not slow down. Instead she launched into her next questions. "What's Transfiguration, then?"

"It is the art of turning an object into something else."

"Oh, like what?"

"Well…"

A nearby suit of armor rattled. Callie jumped, placing her hand on Marie's arm. McGonagall smiled.

"Perhaps a demonstration?"

She waved her wand, and in an instant, the suit of armor had become a large flamingo. Callie yelped again, jumping backward, and even Marie looked a little unsettled. With another wave of her wand, the suit of armor regained its previous form.

"That's so cool!" Callie gushed. "I've never seen anything transform like that in my life!"

Marie shot her an incredulous glare, and Callie, having realized what she had said, fell silent, embarrassed. McGonagall did not miss this, and decided to ask a question of her own. "What is it?"

"Callie's being an idiot." Marie told her, in that dry, almost bored sounding way of hers.

Callie flushed. "Am not!" She insisted. "I didn't think about it, okay?"

The girls began to bicker quietly among themselves, and McGonagall's question went unanswered. She had not the time to press them more on the issue, however, as they came to a stop in front of the Headmaster's door.

"Kalamari."

The statue rose upward. The girls gawked at it, again taking aback by the magic of the castle.

"The headmaster will be waiting for you upstairs." McGonagall informed them. Callie's face fell.

"Awwww, Minnie, you're not coming with us?"

Marie almost laughed at the expression on McGonagall's face. She had clearly not been called Minnie in a long, long time. "I have business of my own to attend to, I'm afraid." She said. "Besides, the Headmaster wishes to speak with the both of you alone."

Marie nodded, her expression grim. Callie however, nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, but we'll see you later, alright? Don't be a stranger!"

She waved warmly after her as she stepped away down the hall. Marie frowned at Callie.

"Please, Callie…. Restrain yourself. We don't know what we're dealing with here."

Callie grinned at her, and shrugged. "We won't know if we don't ask questions!" She chirped. "I thought you scientists knew that."

"I'm not a scientist, Callie." She told her, exasperated. It seemed that Callie had also not forgotten that particular Splatfest.

"Well, we're not going to learn anything if we be all quiet and contemplative, right?" Callie stepped up onto the stairs of the statue, casting a look back at her. Marie nodded.

"Yes… that is true."

The girls, although they had time to discuss the situation at hand amongst themselves, still understood very little as to where they were or how they had come to be there. The places and people here were unlike anything they had ever seen in their lifetime.

Only one thing seemed to stick out to Marie. She wondered if Callie had picked up on it as well.

The Squid Sisters climbed the spiral staircase and approached the door. Callie was all set to barge in, but Marie stopped her just in time, and issued a knock.

"Come in."

The girls did.

Sitting behind the desk was their gracious host, Albus Dumbledore. Marie, not forgetting her manners, issued him a polite bow. "Thank you so much, Professor, for letting us stay here and recover." She said. Callie clumsily imitated the movement, her face flushed.

"Y-yeah… thank you so much."

Dumbledore smiled. "You are very welcome. Please, have a seat."

He waved his wand, and two large, plush armchairs appeared out of nowhere. Callie gave an impressed sounding noise, but Marie kept herself silent. The two sat, and they stared at the man in front of them apprehensively. Marie was suddenly struck by that they had not been seated in front of a schoolmaster in over ten years. Things had changed so much for them since then… Time truly had flown.

"Now." Dumbledore said. "Callie, Marie… what has brought you here, to our school?" His voice was light and friendly, but Marie could sense an intelligent edge to his words. The Headmaster, in spite of all his wisdom, still had no clue as to what to make of them.

"Well…."

Callie looked hopelessly at Marie. How very like her. She was always expected to do the talking in serious situations, such as business dealings or the like. But when it came to socializing, she was the life of the party.

"We're not sure." Marie said quietly. "We should not be here. I know that much."

"Oh? What makes you say that?"

Marie hesitated, not sure on how to put this. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning." She said. "Callie, I think we should tell him about the Squidbeak Splatoon."

Callie spluttered. "W-what?" She looked genuinely amazed. "But-"

"He doesn't even know who we are." Marie told her. "There's no reason to protect our image. What we need to do is come forward with what happened."

She turned back to face Dumbledore, her face set. "Callie and I, in our day to day lives, work as idols in our city Inkopolis." She said. "But we also have another role. One that the public cannot know."

"We're secret agents!"

Marie shot her a glare. "I was getting to that." Callie smiled sheepishly.

"Secret Agents?" Dumbledore repeated.

"That's right." Marie said, nodding. "Our task is to protect the city from those who would harm it. Whether it's the Salmonids or the Octarains, we're the main force standing in between our society… and them."

"And sometimes we ARE the only thing." Callie said, scowling. "Mr. Grizz doesn't send people out to fight Salmonids every day for whatever reason, and none of the other Inklings notice or care when the Octarians pull something."

"Like they did the other day." Marie finished for her, nodding. Albus was listening to their speech, his hands folded, taking in all of this information. "It was Octavio who sent us here, Callie. I know it."

"Octavio?"

"One hundred years ago, our Grandfather, Cap'n Cuttlefish, defeated Octavio and sent he and his kind to live beneath the surface of the Earth." Marie explained. "We have been enemies ever since."

Her expression hardened. "In recent years, he and his followers have taken huge leaps to try and conquer our kind. Brainwashing, kidnapping, stealing our power, making horrible music…" She shook her head. "No matter what he tried to use to conquer us, it always ended in failure. In fact, we learned recently that the vast majority of Octarians don't even support him. He is forced to brainwash them to use for troops, but even then the Squidbeak Splatoon would crush him, time and time again."

"The last time it happened, Agent 4 and Marie did it all by themselves!" Callie said cheerfully. Marie winced, unable to admit out loud that she had been too busy fretting for Callie's safety to take to the field herself. Agent 4 had, much like Agent 3 before him, defeated the Octarians all by himself.

"But this time, the most recent time, it was Callie and I who took on Octavio." Marie said. "He was the one who sent us here. I'm sure of it."

"If I may, Marie." The headmaster interrupted. "But you keep saying you were 'sent here….' What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"You've noticed it yourself, Headmaster." Marie said, wincing. "My cousin and I are nothing like anything your people have ever seen. But you… you are something we are very familiar with."

She looked down, embarrassed. "From our Museums."

Silence filled the air.

"Octavio, somehow, sent us back in time." Marie said. "to a time before our kind walked the Earth, to a time when the last dominant species were still alive."

"Whaaaaaat?"

Callie looked flabberghasted. "Marie, what are you saying?"

Marie scowled. So she had not figured it out herself after all. "Do you remember what Octavio said to us before this all happened? How he was going to rewrite history and all that?"

"I never listen to a thing he says, Marie." Callie complained. "You know that."

"You should." Marie huffed, looking away, back to Dumbledore.

He had stood up, and had walked over to the window. He gazed out of it, and an overwhelming feeling of guilt welled up within her. Perhaps she should have stayed silent about manknind being extinct, after all.

"You say that you come from the future?"

Marie was surprised at how firm his voice sounded. "Yes." She said. "Over 10,000 years from now, I believe."

"10,000 years…"

He nodded, as if to himself. "Tell me, what did this Octavio do to travel back in time in the first place?"

"He had a ball." Callie recalled, hand on her chin. "It was a bright blue, swirling ball… you could see things inside it, if you looked hard enough."

"He called it a time orb." Marie said.

"He called it a GREAT Time orb, as I recall."

"I thought you said you didn't listen to what he says?"

"A time orb…" Dumbledore murmured. "Interesting…"

"Does that ring a bell, Professor?"

"It does."

He moved back to his desk and sat down. "Here in this time, we have time travel of our own. But it is heavily regulated by our government, and for very good reason. Meddling with time itself is very dangerous. Very dangerous indeed."

"You have time orbs of your own?"

"No. We use Time Turners, things that are designed to relive hours that had gone past. But there are deliberate limitations in place that prevent traveling back days or weeks in the past. A time orb is an object with no such restriction. It can create a pathway between two different times, no matter how many ages have past. Ten thousand years would be nothing for it."

"But where would Octavio get something like that?" Callie asked, nonplussed. "We've never seen him use anything like that before!"

"There's no telling… there's a lot about the Octarians we don't know." Marie said, frowning deeply. "Albus, please… be honest with us. Is it possible to return to our time?"

Albus lowered his head, thinking deeply. "The time orb creates a single pathway between two different eras that will remain for as long as the ball itself remains intact." He told them. "If the ball breaks before the two of you return home… it will be impossible to return you to your proper time."

The girls looked at each other, horror on their faces.

"Octavio has to have it." Marie said immediately. "There's no way he would smash it, just like that…. Would he? What if he needed supplies or soldiers from the future?"

Callie bit her lip so hard that purple ink ran down her neck. "Are you sure?" She asked reluctantly, shyly. "He did say that he wanted to rewrite history… maybe he wants to start fresh."

Marie stood up, suddenly agitated. "Is there nothing we can do?" She lamented, as she paced back and forth. "Are we stuck here?"

"Where are going to go?" Callie asked her timidly. "If we can't go back home, we're-"

"As long as you desire it, Hogwarts shall be your home."

The girls started, surprised, at the man in front of them.

"No, Albus, we can't…."

"I doubt this Octavio will stay silent for long." Dumbledore told them. "I will keep my eyes and ears open for any oddities… and believe me, I have many of them. And when I do find him, I will let you know."

"You're really going to let us stay here?" Marie asked, amazed. "But what about your students?"

"They have seen stranger things than a couple of Inklings." Dumbeldore told them, with a smile. "You will be more than welcome here, I'm sure."

"Dumbledore…."

"Now." He said, getting to his feet and walking around the desk. "Perhaps we need to find you some rooms, and perhaps some real food. The other teachers, I'm sure, will be interested in meeting you."

"That's right!" Callie said, giving a sudden start. "I need to ask Professor Snape about that potion!

It was ink-credible. Marie thought to herself, as the older man and Callie descended the stairs, laughing among themselves as if they were old friends. How such a kind old man could make a horrifying situation as this seem almost pleasant.

Someday, she would repay Albus Dumbledore for his kindness.

…

A/N

Hmmm, I I was planning on doing a lot more in this chapter than just dumping a whole lot of exposition on you. I can't say I'm as pleased with this one as I am the last. At the very least, I'm making this crossover seem more interesting than you would think initially…. Right?

For those wondering, Agent 3 is an Inkling Girl and 4 is an Inkling Boy. Have you read Heroes of Inkopolis? They're basically them. I wouldn't have bothered mentioning them at all if Splatoon 2 didn't outright acknowledge Agent 3 still being involved with the Agents, making me imagine that Agent 4 will stay on as well. But since they're player avatars and not actual characters, it's REALLY hard to justify putting them into a fanfic, since it feels like I'm just shoving in my OCs even though they are…. TECHINCALLY… Canon.

Anyway, thanks for all the reviews. SparkleGlacier, ImpsWithHats, ultima-owner, Crazy Dragon Ninja, and Xforgamerx are complete studs and studdessses. You guys rock, and are the main reason the second chapter came out so soon! Even if I couldn't thank SparkleGlacier through PM for reviewing because he/she had his/her PM system turned off… which I wasn't even aware was something you could do.

So what do you guys think is going to happen next? I doubt ANY of you know. 😉


	3. Chapter 3

Although a part of Harry Potter still felt upset about the people around him for failing to clue him in on what was going on, living in the Black Household with Sirius was doing a lot to improve his mood. Even if he was expelled. Even if the unthinkable happened, he would have somewhere to stay.

"For the last time, Harry." Hermione said, shaking her head at him. "They can't possibly expel you." He nodded numbly, his expression sour. Ron clapped him on the back. "Come on, mate. When has Hermione ever been wrong?"

He tried to force a smile. "Never, to my recollection." Hermione scowled at them both.

"Honestly…"

The trio were standing on the top of the stairs of the Black household, idly watching the group below them pass by, trying to overhear their conversation.

"Those girls really are something else… Are they really?"

"Dumbledore believes so…"

Ron scowled as he leaned over the side of the railing. "What girls?" He demanded, reaching for his pocket. "Does anyone have an extendable ear?"

The other two shook their heads. The voices faded. Ron slumped back, looking annoyed. "Was that important, do you reckon?" He asked them. The two immediately shook their heads. He groaned. "Thought not."

The friends, their task having ended in failure, milled back to their rooms, with nothing new to go on. "Nothing to look forward to besides cleaning." Ron said glumly. But just as he finished speaking, a loud crack filled the air.

Fred and George were sitting in front of them, smirking. "That's what you get for not having your ear to the ground, Ronnie!" Fred said, raising his extendable ear high.

"Well?" Ron asked, glowering at them. "What did you catch?"

"What did we catch PLEASE."

"Come on you two…"

"Was it anything interesting?" Harry interrupted them. Fred and George, to their disappointment, also shook their heads.

"It wasn't Order business." Fred said. "But apparently something odd has happened at Hogwarts."

"Something odd?" Harry was instantly on the alert. "Could Voldemort be involved?" The twins, as one, shook their head.

"Sorry, old bean. That simply isn't the case."

"Apparently some odd girls washed ashore on the lake."

"Odd?" Harry repeated. "In what way?"

"We're not sure." Fred admitted. "We just know that they're odd."

"And that there was talk as to whether or not showing up when they did is something to worry about or not."

"Like, whether Voldemort is involved?"

"Yeah, but Dumbledore apparently doesn't think so."

"How curious." Hermione said, placing a hand on her cheek thoughtfully. "Perhaps we'll meet with them when we get back to Hogwarts.

Although none of them were aware of this, Harry would be meeting with them much sooner.

…

Callie twirled around, admiring herself in the mirror. She was dressed in a fine, formal dress that had been provided to her by the school. Both of their agent uniforms were deemed informal for the situation at hand, and so the school allowed them to pick out a wardrobe for themselves.

A knock came at the door. Callie grinned. "Is that you, Professor?"

It was not. Instead Marie stepped in, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

Unlike Callie, who had opted to wear something that was fashionable locally, Marie had chosen to wear a Kimono, complete with wooden sandals and even a parasol- although Callie noticed right away it was just a regular parasol and not a Splat Brella, like the one she usually carried.

"I feel naked without a gun." Marie complained, twirling her parasol irritably. Callie grinned.

Once again it was Professor McGonagall who let the Squid Sisters up to Dumbledore's office. Marie was as silent as ever, but Callie was ecstatic.

"Do you really think your ministry will be able to help us, Professor?"

"They are the ones to regulate the use of time travel." McGonagall told them. "If anyone can help you, it should be them."

"Alright!"

Marie frowned, twirling her parasol around in her hands. Was it just her imagination, or was McGonagall sounding a little… off?

They climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's office and stepped inside. Dumbledore, dressed impressively in a long robe, smiled at them as they stepped into the room.

"How are you today?"

"Very well, thank you…"

"GREAT!"

"I'm glad to hear it."

He nodded to Professor McGonagall, who left them be. "Now…" The girls watched as he raised his hand, and a large kettle appeared in front of them. "I imagine neither one of you are familiar with portkeys…"

The girls shook their head.

"This will be rather uncomfortable." He told them. "On the count of three, reach forward and touch the kettle."

Marie glanced at Callie. "Kettles, huh?" She murmured. "Just like Octo Valley back home." Callie grinned at her.

"One…"

"Two…"

"Three…"

The girls reached forward, and suddenly they were yanked away. Callie screamed as they went whirling through space, and before long…

They came to a stop. Callie blinked, stepping away from the portkey, feeling a little nauseous.

Marie, how had handled the trip far better, observed the surroundings with interest.

They were surrounded by all sides by Wizards and Witches like Dumbledore and McGonagall. People in fancy robes passed by them, many of them greeting Dumbledore cordially but still more eyeing the Squid Sisters warily. Callie, to her credit, smiled widely. Marie, however, did not.

"So this is the Ministry of Magic." Marie said to herself. Her eyes fell on the fountain in the center of the room, and with her interest piqued, she stepped towards it, parasol in hand. Callie followed behind her.

"What a lovely statue." Marie said to Dumbledore. "Are these real creatures?"

"They are indeed." He said, taking her ignorance in stride. Callie frowned, as she tilted her head to the side.

"Why are they looking up to them like that?"

Marie, initially, had no idea what she was talking about. But on closer observation, the statues of the magical creatures were staring up adoringly up at the witch and wizard above them.

To their surprise, Dumbledore gave them a rather bitter looking smile, but said nothing.

The group made their way to the front desk, where a bored looking man sitting at the desk. He looked up in surprise as the group approached him.

"Oh… Dumbledore." He said. "And…"

His eyes fell on the Squid Sisters, and his expression became odd. "What are those?"

Callie gasped, placing a hand in her mouth while Marie narrowed her eyes in distaste. Dumbledore, sensing a conflict, stepped in front of them.

"We are here to report an unregulated instance of time travel." He said. "Very distant time travel."

The man stared at them, open mouthed. "So… you want to see the Unspeakables, then."

Marie twitched. "The… Unspeakables?" The name seemed intimidating to her. Callie seemed to feel the same way. She shot her an anxious glance.

The man did not answer her, instead he was fumbling around with something on the desk.

"Your name and species, please?"

"Uh…. I'm Marie."

"Callie!"

"And we're…"

Marie stopped mid sentence to glare at Callie, who had, by complete instinct, wound up her body to take their famous 'Stay Fresh!' pose. Callie, upon realizing what she was doing, stopped, laughing nervously.

"We're Inklings."

"Inklings." The man repeated, shaking his head. "Dumbledore, I hope they're house trained. You will be fined if they get into any mischief."

Dumbledore nodded, his expression tight. Callie's smile faded slightly, but Marie did not even try to hide he annoyance.

They took their buttons, thanked the man, and left for the elevator. Marie was fuming at this point. Callie lay a comforting hand on their shoulder.

"We don't belong here, remember." Callie reminded her. "Of course most people are going to think we're odd."

Marie nodded, trying to recollect herself, but Dumbledore shook his head.

"There is no excuse for that kind of behavior." He said. "None at all."

The elevator descended several floors while the Squids tried to collect their bearings. But that came to an end when the door opened and something flew in.

"Eeeeeh!"

Callie jumped as four or five of the things flew above them, circling their heads like seagulls.

"These are just memos." Dumbledore explained. "A way for departments to stay in contact with one another."

"They look just like the paper airplanes we used to make in school, right Marie?"

"The paper Airplanes YOU made in school." Marie reminded her. "I was actually doing work."

The two bickered amongst themselves for a while longer, grateful for the distraction. And eventually the elevator came to a stop.

They were now in a long, empty hallway.

"The Department of Mysteries." Dumbledore said. "We will report the incident here, and hopefully they can help us track down Octavio and your Time Orb."

…

"Half-breeds?" Umbridge repeated, outraged. "Here?"

She had taken a glance at the guest list for the ministry that morning to double check that Harry Potter had not arrived to his trial on time, only to discover, to her outrage, that two half breeds were walking around this very building.

"I want them expulsed IMMEDIATELY."

"But Dumbledore was with them-"

She whirled on him, shooting him a glare. "Dumbledore believes that He-Who-Must-Be-Named has returned from the dead over the summer. Honestly we should expel him too!"

Irritably she left him behind her. She wasn't quite sure what an 'Inkling' was, but she imagined they would leave a mess, whatever they were. Dumbledore must have brought them here to cause trouble. Perhaps she could file a complaint and have him put away for good. She would have to suggest it to the Minister, following the trial.

Soon she found herself sitting among the Wizengamot, staring around at the people around her with a smirk. Everyone here were trustworthy. They were not going to be swayed by Harry Potter's fame or Dumbledore's alleged accomplishments. No, they would reach a swift and just verdict, one that would make all her hard work and effort pay off and eliminate one of the biggest threats to the Ministry since the fall of Voldemort.

"That could have went better." Dolores thought to herself, hazily, as the trial ended with Harry being acquitted.

…

Callie and Marie stood awkwardly outside the trial room, not sure what to make of the situation. The man across from them was giving them curious looks, possibly due to them arriving with Dumbledore, but neither felt comfortable approaching him.

"When is he going to be back?" Callie hissed.

"I don't know." Marie told her. "Please be patient." She clicked the point of the parasol against the floor, nervously.

Time passed. And then, finally, Dumbledore emerged from the room.

"They changed the time." The man said to him, urgently. "They did not let us know, and I-"

"I'm aware." Dumbledore said heavily. "Thankfully it did not pay off for them."

Callie and Marie were staring at them nervously. Dumbledore beckoned them forward, and they did so.

"Professor, what happened exactly?" Marie asked. "You just sort of dragged us down here with no explanation."

"My apologies." Dumbledore said. "An emergency had to be dealt with."

He cast a look back at the man. "Please look after Harry. I-"

But before he could finish his sentence, another figure stepped out from the door. It was the youngest human they had seen thus far. A male, about the same age as an adolescent Inkling, looking somehow relieved, but very disappointed.

"Harry!" The man beamed, as he stepped towards him. "Were you acquitted?"

"Of all charges!" He said, beaming. The man laughed, wrapping his arms around him.

Dumbledore turned to the Squid Sisters, beckoning them away. "Come, let us leave now, before-"

The door burst open again, and a vast group of wizards began to filter out. Callie, surprised, pressed herself against the wall as the group passed by. Marie, having the same idea, headed to the other wall. She raised the parasol and opened it, using it to mask her face from the oncoming crowd.

Callie, however, was not so lucky. People shot her strange, occasionally disgusted looks and she found it very overwhelming. Despite that, however, she tried her best to be cordial. She was an idol after all. "Hi!" She chirped, showing her fangs as they passed. Those who glared quickly looked away.

It was then that Callie noticed that the man who had been waiting in the hall with them was standing right next to her, having a short conversation with the boy. Feeling as if she should, at least, pretend to belong here, she made her way over to them.

"Hi!" She chirped to them. "Are you friends of Dumbledore's?"

They stopped whispering amongst themselves and shot her a surprised look. To her pleasure, neither seemed as particularly unnerved by her as some of the others had been.

"Er, I'm sorry, but who are you?" The man asked her. Callie smiled. "I'm Callie." She said. "What's your name?"

To her surprise, the man's eyes widened. "Oh, you're one of the Squid Sisters."

She gasped placing her hand to her mouth. "You've… heard of us?"

"Yes, people have been talking about your sudden appearance at Hogwarts…"

Her face fell. "Ooooh…"

She looked in between them. "Well, what are your names?" She said. "You know me, but I don't know anything about you-"

It was then that the final few members of the Wizengamot stepped out. Fudge, a red haired young man, and… was that a frog?

Callie frowned, staring at the last woman with an intense expression. Could it be possible that…. Thing was from their future as well?

The woman caught her eye, and almost immediately dropped her papers. "W-w-w-w-w-w-w-"

The hallway had thinned out by this point, and Dumbledore finally stepped forward. "Hello, Dolores." Dumbledore said smoothly. "I trust you are doing well?"

"Yes… Yes, Headmaster. Very well." The woman gulped, staring intently at the Inkling before her. "What… what is that thing?"

Callie smiled widely again. "I'm Callie!" She reached out her hand toward her. "Nice to meet you!"

No one said a word. The woman did not move. Instead her eyes flickered over Callie's features. From her tentacles to her eyes to her fang like teeth…

"What are you?" She whispered, sounding terrified. "Who let you in here?"

Callie's face fell, her expression crestfallen.

"Come, Callie." Dumbledore said. "And you, Marie. It is time to finish your interview."

Callie nodded. Marie closed the parasol and stepped out from behind the toad woman. The woman, who had not noticed her, jumped as she had not realized that there had been another Squid in the room with them.

"I wish you had just left us up there." Marie complained. "This atmosphere is really dark and depressing. In fact-" She turned around to face Umbridge, her stare wide and haunting. "It's making me very hungry for toad."

Umbridge's mouth fell open wide. Marie turned back around, smiling smugly to Callie, expecting some sort of goofy laugh. Instead Callie put her hands on her hips and glared at her.

"Marie, who eats toads?" She asked. "That's disgusting!"

Marie's face fell. "It was a joke, Callie…" She said. "You were supposed to laugh."

Marie turned away from them, taking several steps down the hallway. "Well?" She asked, looking behind her. "Are you coming?"

Umbridge stood there, staring at them, as the group made their way upstairs.

"Marie-"

"Yes, Professor?"

"I'm not entirely sure that was wise." Dumbledore stopped, wondering just how to explain the complicated issue of Umbridge's prejudices against non humans to someone who was not from this time.

Marie stared at him, and he was taken aback by the fierce fire in her eyes. "No one speaks to my cousin like that." She said. "No one."

She turned away from them in a huff.

The Squid Sisters and Dumbledore parted with the boy and his guardian at some point. Callie and Marie did not exchange any further words with them.

"Callie…"

"Yes?"

"I'm not sure we can trust these people."

Callie, to her surprise, nodded. "I think so too." She said quietly. "Can they really help us get Back to the Future?"

"Wonderful film."

They jumped, each looking guilty. Neither of them had realized he could hear them in this empty hall. "Remind me to show it to you. I think it will raise your spirits considerably."

His eyes twinked again. "But let it be known to both of you that you can find good people everywhere you go. In both this time and yours."

…

Author's Note: Again I'm not happy with this chapter. I just want to go into weirdly specific details about things even though I don't really have the time to do that. Ugh, it's irritating. It also doesn't help that my memory of these books is getting foggy with age. I don't read and re-read them constantly these days, so I actually had to look up the specific order of events in book five.

I also can't say that the first meeting between the Squid Sisters and Harry was all that interesting. I'm still trying to figure out how this dynamic is going to work! Please be patient with me. Anyway, so what did you guys think? Leave a review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

The celebration party at the Black Manor was in full swing. Harry was busy regaling everyone about who he had met at the Ministry.

"So you met Callie and Marie?"

"I wouldn't say met." He said. "But Callie… she spoke to us."

"And what was she like?"

He took in a deep breath. "Odd." He said at last. "I've never seen anything like her. She looked like a person, but those tentacles were just so strange."

Remus nodded. "Yes, Professor McGonagall has said it took her some time to get used to them as well." He said. "But she says they are really quite likeable."

"What are they?" Hermione, who had become very curious about the newest arrivals at Hogwarts, asked him.

"Well…. They call themselves Inklings." He said. "And truth be told, no one has any idea. Dumbledore believes that they have come from the distant future."

"The Future?" Hermione asked blankly. "But how is that possible?"

"According to Professor Dumbledore, a great evil from their time has come back to change their future."

A hush fell across the table. Harry and Hermione looked at each other, horrified.

"Is it…" Hermione hesitated, giving Harry a glance. "Connected to Voldemort in any way?"

"We are not sure." Remus said at last. "But Dumbledore had taken the girls into the Ministry to report their plight. If the Ministry accepts the story, they can utilize their considerable resources to find and eliminate this threat."

"If." Harry said. "If they are believed."

Remus gave him a small smile. "The girls, we hope, will be more than proof enough that something is horribly wrong." He said.

…

That had not been the case.

"How could they not have believed us?" Callie demanded, pacing around the common room.

More adequate accomadations were being prepared for their unique tastes, but at the moment the girls had chosen to live in the Hufflepuff common room, which they would move out of when the semester began properly. Callie had initially wanted to live in the tower, while Marie wanted to live in the dungeon, but Dumbledore had forced them to compromise, and so they had ended up taking the rooms nearest the kitchen, which both of them could agree was to their liking.

Marie lowered her paper from her favorite chair, in front of a large, ornate statue of a handsome young man in a Hufflepuff robe. It had an inscription at the bottom that read simply "In memory of Cedric Diggory." Marie thought he was cute, even if she had no idea who Cedric was.

"Callie, look at this."

Callie wrinkled her nose. Reading the paper was never her idea of a great past time. But Marie had been taking to reading the paper and visiting the library nearly every day since they had gotten back to the castle.

"Marie, what is it?" She asked, not even giving the paper a glance. Marie sighed, as she raised the paper to her face and began to read aloud.

" _The Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry surprised many at the ministry when he appeared with two strange humanoid creatures in the Atrium. Although the Headmaster had sent an owl ahead to warn of their arrival, nothing could prepare the ministry for the savage, man eating creatures that terrorized ministry officials that day."_

Callie's mouth fell open in shock. "That's terrible! What kind of monsters were they?"

Marie gave her an incredulous glance. "They're talking about US, Callie."

"Whaaaaaaat?"

" _It only goes to show that the once renowned Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is finally starting to show his age. The creatures, as he explained, had come from the future and had traveled back through time. However, upon further questioning, the creatures were shown to be simply be an undiscovered species of Merfolk that lived deep beneath the sea. The Unspeakables that ran the tests declined to comment, but the Minister-"_

Marie threw the paper down in disgust, unable to read another word. "Beneath the sea?" She repeated. "We can't even tread water without washing ourselves away!"

Callie bit her lip, giving the paper a glance. "How could they like about us like that?" She asked. "And that bit about Dumbledore… It seemed so…"

"Tabloidish." Marie grimaced, as she rolled up the paper in her hands. "I half expected them to accuse us of being Octolings."

Callie giggled nervously as Marie got to her feet and strode to the portrait that led out into the hall. "Where are you going?"

"I want to speak with Dumbledore about this." Marie called behind her. "Do you want to come?"

"Well…"

Of course she didn't. Callie was never one to worry about their image or popularity. Losing that final splatfest they had hosted, the dreaded Callie Vs Marie had barely phased her at all. Maire knew, deep down in her heart, that she would have resented Callie if her team had pulled through. But Callie was better than that.

"We'll meet up for dinner, alright?"

Callie's expression brightened. "Alright!"

Marie left her, paper in hand, as she stepped up the stairs and into the hallway. The castle, although large, had largely been explored by both sisters at this point, still had that ominous feeling of being overbearing. Marie strongly suspected that the castle might, in fact, be considerably larger than Inkopolis itself. Or, at least, it felt that way to her.

She had never walked straight to Dumbledore's office from here, so she would have to figure out the way. The entrance hall, was down this hallway…

She stepped out into the Entrance Hall, and was surprised to see a small cat darting in front of her. She gasped, placing a hand on her face. As amazing as everything they had seen so far was, seeing another one of Judd's species was somehow most impressive at all.

The cat watched her as she stepped past. She stared at it, wondering whether all cats liked being stroked the way Judd did. She was strongly tempted to touch it. She hesitated for a while, before leaning in with her hand outstretched.

It darted away, down the entrance hall and into another passageway. A little disappointed, Marie pulled away. "Maybe next time." She said to the cat. And then she was off to the great staircase.

The portraits had largely gotten their presence at this point. Very few of them bothered them at all, other than the odd knight or curious monk. Marie was not as fond as the paintings as Callie had been. She could not get enough of them, often having random conversations with the most unusual people. Marie preferred to leave them alone and speak to normal people, thank you very much.

She stepped into the hallway was Dumbledore's office, and was surprised to find a dark haired man striding toward her.

"Good evening." Marie, never forgetting her manners, said. The man had long, greasy hair that looked relatively unwashed and pale skin.

"Good evening." The man said stiffly. He eyed her apprehensively. He did not look surprised by his appearance, so she imagined that Dumbledore had explained the situation to them.

"My name is Marie." She told him, reaching out a hand towards him. "And you are…?"

"Professor Snape, the Potions Master." He did not take her hand. "If you would excuse me."

He brushed past her. Marie watched him go, a little put off by his attitude. Perhaps she had simply grown too used to the adoration from strangers that her career has an idol had brought her, but she was not used to being treated that way.

She turned back around, her grip around her paper tightening. Thinking of home had made her feel very homesick all of a sudden. She missed everyone. Gramps, Agents 3 and 4, Judd and Lil Judd, Marina and… well, maybe some people less than others.

 _But at least I have Callie._

Despite the overwhelming nature of what had happened to them, Marie always found herself taking solace in that fact. At least she had her cousin and closest friend.

"Kalamari."

The statue sprung open and Marie clambered up the stairs. She knocked on the door, as she always did, and waited. There was no answer.

Marie normally would have simply waited outside the door if the office had belonged to anyone else. But a curious, childish part of her wanted to take a much better look around his office. Many of his possessions fascinated her. She had always wanted to take a good look around the place.

Dumbledore was not the sort of person to hold that against her… was he?

Marie pushed the door open and tip toed inside. The room was a bit bigger than she had initially realized. It was simply cramped by the sheer amount of things surrounding the desk. Odd little instruments and doo-dads lined the space. All of them, she imagined, had some sort of magical property, beyond even most trained wizards understanding.

She decided to start with the basics, and took a look at Dumbledore's bookshelves. He had many tomes lining the walls of the office. They were not just for show, either. Marie's experienced eye could see that all of them were well read and cared for. They had titles that she could scarcely even understand. Many were in foreign languages, many she did not recognize. As with all books written in this era, none were written in Inkling. Although she, like all Inklings, was fairly fluent in English in order to keep up with prehistoric Splat fest themes and the unstoppable need to play Pokemon, she could barely understand what any of these were about. Ancient Runes, divine prophecies, history books covering people and places she had never even heard of, Horcruxes, none of it meant anything to her.

She pulled away, frowning. Her curiosity had not been sated, but she was beginning to regret coming in here regardless She was starting to feel like an idiot. She turned around towards the door, and flinched.

A large, imposing bird was perched above the bookshelf on the other wall. It was staring at her inquisitively.

Marie suddenly felt incredibly exposed. The bright, red bird was far bigger than the things she was used to seeing, and it's claws looked rather sharp. Could it be dangerous? She had seen videos of how vicious prehistoric birds like Swans could be. Even sea gulls had been known to take bites at Inkling tentacles. She took a step back, accidently stepping into an instrument. It let out a puff of smoke, and Marie, surprised, jumped, knocking the thing over with a mighty crash.

"Ah-"

She took another step back and tripped over a nearby stool. She tripped, falling straight onto the floor. And then something from above descended onto her head.

She screamed, grabbing at her face, sure that the bird had descended on her and wanted to feast on her tentacles…

 _In all of my years, I've never been in such an odd situation._

Marie froze. The voice had come from nowhere. "What?" She asked. "Who's there?"

"On your face." The thing said. Marie, more shocked than frightened, reached around and yanked the thing off her head.

It was a large, black, hat, similar to the one that McGonagall wore. She stared at it, unable to wrap her head around what had happened, before giving a rather guilty look around the office. She had knocked over books, more than one of the instruments, and the bird had not moved.

"I don't believe this…"

She set the hat back on the shelf where it had been sitting and tried her best to set everything straight. The bird, despite her fears, had not moved. It simply ruffled its feathers at her.

"This is your fault too, you know." She told it, as she righted the instrument, desperately looking over it to ensure that it was not broken. "Maybe Dumbledore will put us both in detention."

"I don't think there will be a need for that." An amused voice said from above."

Marie's head shot upwards. There, standing on the stairway above her, was Professor Dumbledore. "Oh, Professor…" Marie, embarrassed, pulled away from the instrument. "I'm so sorry, I needed to speak to you, so I just let myself in, and…"

"It is alright." He said, raising his wand.

Immediately the things around them began to shoot back into their proper places. Marie flinched as books went flying past her head onto the shelf above her. Dumbledore was already striding down towards her, smiling softly.

"Breaking things is usually Callie's thing." Marie told him. "I really didn't mean it…"

He chuckled. "We never do, do we? Please be more careful next time. You said you wanted to see me?"

She winced, as she raised the paper in front of her eyes. "I've been reading your newspaper." She said. Dumbledore frowned as he looked at it.

"So you had noticed." He sounded very down. "I am sorry." He said. "I should have had someone else take you to the ministry. Recent events have made me… very unpopular there. I'm afraid my reputation has destroyed any chances of you or your cousin receiving any help from the ministry."

"But why?" Marie asked blankly. "I mean, it's so OBVIOUS just by looking at us that we're not from around here. They didn't even bother really hearing us out."

"Yes… this has been a problem for the last several months." Dumbledore smiled at her bitterly. "Something terrible is afoot in this time. And what's worse is that our leaders are doing nothing about it."

For the first time, Marie saw a little of her own Grandfather in the man. Cap'n Cuttlefish had spent his entire life defending Inkopolis from the Octarians, and no one above knew anything about it. Callie and Marie were adored by Inklings everywhere, but that was because of their singing career. Not their work as Agents. Agents 3 and 4 to this day never received any credit for their accomplishments from anyone. It made her feel terrible inside, that she and Callie were living such high lives while the people around them did more for nothing.

"Dumbledore…" Marie said softly. "Please. If we can help you, you only have to ask."

He smiled at her. "You are very kind, Marie." He said. "But this is not your problem. You need to devote yourself to getting back to your own time."

Marie shook her head. "No, Albus." She said, her voice firm. "You are our friend. I will not stand by and do nothing. You have done so much for us already, it would be shameful of us to ignore your plight."

He stared at her. Marie did not falter at all. At last, he nodded. "Yes." He said. "I have been looking into this Octavio and yours, but have found nothing. I think having the two of you working more closely with me will be a huge benefit to us."

"Us?" Marie repeated.

"Marie, have you heard the story of Harry Potter?"

…

Author's note: I finally finished the single player for Splatoon 2! It was great, especially the last few areas. I think the last boss wasn't quite as mind blowing as the original's, though. Although still reasonably good, by Nintendo standards anyway. Although playing it really made me realize how much I fucked up Octavio's character… I completely forgot how goofy he was, somehow.

I started working on this chapter the day I finished the last one, and was planning on posting it immediately… but I got sidetracked because of that. At the very least, I know how Splatoon 2 ends now! I still need to get all the Sunken Scrolls and such, which but once I'm through with that… I can FINALLY stop feeling guilty at spending all of my free time playing Ranked and Salmon Run.

I'm really starting to hate the pacing of my chapters… it's all build up, and no pay off. In the Blood has the same problem. Hopefully I can figure out how to get around this problem soon. And I'm pretty sure the Squids will meet Harry Potter and friends next chapter. It only took five chapters, but at least it DID happen. You guys are lucky… NOTHING has happened in In the Blood yet, and won't until I finish the next chapter.

Anyway, be sure to leave a review and like, follow, and favorite the story! It does a lot to keep me motivated.


	5. Chapter 5

Dumbledore had sent a house elf to retrieve Callie. She had been taking a nap when the thing had apparated onto her bed, and she had almost taken her roller and splatted it purely out of instinct. She was not looking particularly happy, Marie thought, amused, as she lounged in the cushy armchair in the office, her eyes blinking tiredly.

"I'm sorry to call you on such short notice." Dumbledore told her, sounding amused. "But I think it's time I told you both about what is happening in the world, in this time."

Callie did not seem particularly enthused.

"Perhaps we should have waited for her to get her beauty sleep." Marie said. "She needs all the rest she can get to keep up with me."

Callie glared at her, and opened her mouth to retort, but Dumbledore raised his hand. "I fear that, with the school semester beginning shortly, that I will not have time to properly speak with you about this. Now that you have settled here, it is time we talk about my argument with the Ministry of Magic."

Marie nodded, her lips pursed, but Callie had already closed her eyes. Marie prodded her with her foot, but she did not move.

"So it's the ministry itself that you have problems with… not just the Daily Prophet?" Marie asked him, interested. Dumbledore nodded.

"That is correct." He said, looking grim. "The issue comes from the very highest office at the Ministry… the Minister of Magic."

"That would be… Cornelius Fudge." Marie said, tapping her finger against the armrest thoughtfully. "I know very little about him, I'm afraid. Other than that he was elected in 1990. Five years ago."

Callie cracked an eye open to stare at her incredulously. "How do you know even that?" She demanded. Marie touched her tentacles self-conciously.

"I want to know more about this time, Callie. It's called paying attention."

Callie suddenly leaned forward. "Are you saying that I don't pay attention?"

Marie opened her mouth to argue, before realizing that Dumbledore was watching them, his hands folded in front of him.

"Please, Professor." Marie said. "Tell us about your splat with the minister."

He smiled. "It all began several years ago. With the rise and fall of a man called Lord Voldemort…"

He raised his wand and out of the cupboard sprang a large, thick bowl. Callie jumped, eyes wide. Marie, who was already getting used to the sudden bursts of movement in the castle, handled its appearance much more smoothly.

"What is this stuff…?"

The bowl was filled with a creamy white substance that Marie had never seen before. It swirled before them in a circle, round and round. She could make out pictures inside them. Not unlike the ones they had seen in the Time Orb.

"It is called a pensieve." Dumbledore told them, his voice gentle. "It is filled with memories… my memories."

"Memories…?" Callie repeated blankly. She frowned. "Marie, this is starting to sound very Kingdom Heartsy…"

Marie briefly wondered whether that game had even been made by now or not, but before she could think about it too long the images began to swirl around and around.

"Ladies… if you please."

Callie was first to lean forward, staring into the bowl with interest, before giving a yelp and disappearing entirely. Marie flinched, suddenly feeling nervous. Dumbledore gave her a reassuring smile. "Go on." He told her.

Marie nodded, and leaned forward herself into the bowl.

She blinked. They were no longer standing in the confines of Dumbledore's office. Instead they were on a vast, well lit street.

"Wha-"

The street light next to Callie's head went out. She jumped, looking alarmed.

All along the street, the lights began to disappear. Marie frowned. "Is there something wrong with the Zapfish…?"

And then he appeared.

Dumbledore himself stepped out into the street. Callie gasped, taking a step back as he walked past them, not looking their way at all.

"Professor…"

He did not turn around to face them. Instead he looked right past them and said something into the darkness.

A small tabby cat stepped forward, and in the briefest of instances, transformed into Professor McGonagall. Callie balked.

"Can Judd do that?"

Marie put on a thoughtful expression. "I'm… not sure…"

Callie opened her mouth to continue her line of thought, but she was interrupted by Professor Dumbledore.

"Hagrid is bringing him." Professor Dumbledore was telling Professor McGonagall, as they walked along the street. Marie watched them with interest, her mind beginning to connect the dots.

"This is a memory of past events." Marie murmured, as she stepped behind them. "They can't see or hear us…"

She stepped behind them and followed behind at a brisk pace. Callie, reluctantly, followed. As Marie had surmised, the two did not turn to look at them. To them, they did not exist. They were discussing something at length amongst themselves, there in the street.

Callie touched Marie's arm apprehensively. "Are you following along with this?" She asked her. Marie frowned, crossing her arms.

"Harry Potter…" She murmured. The name did seem familiar. She had been trying her hardest to digest and understanding wizarding culture in the past few weeks, and she must have come across the name somewhere in her studies. But she had no idea as to what the significance of it may be.

As the scene played out before them, the pieces began to fall into place. Harry, as a baby, defeated the dark lord Voldemort and was left with nothing more than a lightning shaped scar on his forehead. Callie frowned as she leaned in to get a better look at it.

"What a strange shape…" She prodded it with her finger, but she yelped as it simply passed through. Marie rolled her eyes at her antics. "Callie, please. Pay attention, this is important."

Callie fell silent, her lips pursed.

Events played out before them in rapid succession. Harry's introduction to Hogwarts, the Philosopher's Stone, the Chamber of Secrets, Sirius Black. So much had happened in the very recent past.

"You could fill four books with all of this stuff." Marie complained, as the scenes following the Tri-Wizard tournament began to shift into something new.

Unlike the memories shown before, Fudge and Dumbledore were standing in Dumbledore's office.

"Now Dumbledore." The Minister was saying, sounding unbearably smug. "It has been a week now and there have been no strange disappearances, no murders, nothing. In fact, I daresay nothing unusual is happening at all."

Dumbledore frowned. "He has only just returned, Minister." He said. "He has not had the time to put any of his plans in motion. And I imagine that he wishes to stay low at the moment anyway to become used to his new body."

Fudge chuckled. "Albus, Albus…" He said, shaking his head. "There is simply no indication that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has returned."

"Yes there is!" Callie shouted at him, baring her fangs at him. "He killed Cedric!"

"Actually, it was Pettigrew who killed Cedric…" Marie reminded her gently. Callie scowled at her.

"You are refusing to face reality, Cornelius." Dumbledore said, his voice cold. "If you do not prepare, Voldemort will cause untold ruin and destruction."

Cornelius stared at him. Marie's hand clenched in anger at his expression.

"He-Who-Must-Be-Named is dead, Dumbledore." Fudge said quietly. "There is no problem here."

And just like that, they were back in the real world. Marie was breathless as she turned to look at Dumbledore, at once at a complete loss for words. Callie, however, did not seem nearly as bothered by what they had seen as she was. Her mind was elsewhere.

"That boy…" Callie murmured. "He was at the Ministry. I remember him."

"That is correct." Dumbledore said, his voice heavy. "The Minister tried to have Harry expelled from this school in order to save face in the eyes of his subordinates."

He looked very old and tired, Marie thought, as the information processed through her mind. He was not happy about the way things had progressed over the past several weeks.

"He is refusing to take responsibility." Marie said, her voice cold. It was no different than the many Inklings did not seem to know or care about the Octarian menace that lurked just below their feet. As long as Turf War was still up and running, they couldn't care less about anything else. In that moment, she saw that Dumbledore was no different than their Grandfather, who had fought the Octarians alone for years, long after he was physically able. She turned to Callie, wondering whether or not she had come to the same conclusion.

"He reminds me of Agent 3." Callie said, upon noticing her look. "Harry, I mean."

"Really?" That was something she had not considered. Agent 3 had seen her way through many trials and tribulations, fought many monsters and defeated many octarians despite the overwhelming odds and her own relative inexperience…

"Yeah, they wear the same kind of glasses and everything!" Marie's face fell, not entirely sure that this train of thought was unexpected.

"This… Voldemort." Marie said, turning back to Dumbledore. "He isn't going to stay in hiding forever, is he?"

Dumbledore sighed. "He is already active." He said. "My spies have already seen signs of him at work. He is rallying his old forces, preparing for a new dark age."

"All this, on top of Octavio's arrival…" Marie's voice was grim. "We will do anything we can for you, Professor." She said. "To stop Octavio, and to stop Voldemort."

…

It was curious indeed that as the Squid Sisters were speaking of Octavio, the Octopus general was speaking of them.

"Have you located the Squid Sisters yet?"

Octavio had taken on his human form for the first time in many years. He sat lounging on his throne, staring down at his kingdom.

This had not been his first trip to the distant past. Over the past several years he had been using the Great Time Orb to send Octolings, materials, and technology to the distant past. In the future, Octopus kind was unable to build domes under the ocean due to the ever present, ever aggressive presence of Salmonids, their natural predator. But in the past, before Salmonids contaminated the very sea itself, it had been simple to construct a vast dome underneath the Atlantic ocean.

Without those pathetic Inklings to interfere, the Octarians were well on their way to becoming the dominant life form on the planet.

"We are not sure." The Octoling, one of his favorites, answered him. "Our maps are not picking them up…"

Octavio frowned. He tapped his finger on the chair, thinking deeply. He had not wanted the Squid Sisters to brought to the city just yet. He had wanted them to see the world above being conquered by him with their own two eyes. So he had, following their apprehension, tossed them out of his ship as he flew over an empty landmass. Long falls did not bother Inklings at all, they should have been completely fine.

But they had disappeared for weeks with no signs of them. It was like they had dropped completely off of the grid.

"There must be something wrong with our Ink tracking satellite." Octavio rumbled. "They could not have been killed... there is nothing in this time that could have splat them."

Unless they had gotten wet… but if that had been the case, they would have been able to isolate and find the Ink they had left behind. No, it was like they had disappeared. Disappeared, with no explanation.

"They must have ended up underground." Octavio decided, nodding. "It's the only explanation." He smirked. "How amusing… the Inklings are forced underground while I take over the world."

He chuckled, and then laughed, and then laughed ever more. It was only a matter of time now until the this world was all his.

….

Author's Note: Wow, the chapter ended up about five hundred words shorter than the last few! I'm sorry about that… and the length of time it took to write! I've been busy, I swear! In fact, the only reason you're getting this chapter NOW instead of perhaps next week is that my gym is closed down this week… So I ended up working on the chapter instead of my gains.

But at the very least I can FINALLY start doing plot related things with the story! I swear I've just been beating around the bush for the past few chapters, but I finally got around to addressing what Octavio has been up to and what his plan is. Hopefully the plot I came up with isn't too outlandish or ridiculous.


	6. Chapter 6

"I heard that you met the Inklings."

Harry started. He turned to look at the odd blonde girl. "What?"

"The Inklings." She repeated. "Callie and Marie."

"Oh, you mean the Squids." He said, surprised. "Yes, I met Callie at the Ministry over the summer."

"What was she like?"

Harry shook his head. "I…. didn't get a chance to speak with her at length." He admitted. "I was just so surprised…"

Luna nodded understandably. "I heard one of them threatened to eat one of Fudge's personal aides."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." Hermione snapped. "That would never happen-"

"Actually, it did." Harry interrupted her. "But it was a joke."

The Hogwarts Express was moving along as planned. Harry found himself staring outside the window, lost in his thoughts.

The train rolled along and came to a stop at the station, just as it always had. Harry and his friends stepped onto the platform and looked around for Hagrid.

…

"Ugh!"

Marie stood leaning against the door as Calllie tore through all of her clothes. "You had all day to prepare." Marie said dryly as Callie threw a pair of pants over her head behind her. "You only just now realized that you have nothing to wear…?"

"Yes!" Callie moaned, as took another hateful glance at the robe she had just now decided that she did not like. "Nothing I have here is good enough!"

"Have McGonagall transfigure you a better dress."

Callie's eyes lit up. "Do you think she would do that?"

In truth Marie had no idea, but she smiled and nodded. "Yeah,just put on that robe and we'll go look for her at the feast."

"Alright!"

Marie smirked to herself as Callie dressed and left their room. They had long left the Hufflepuff Common Room and its gorgeous statue and moved into a guest room near one of the towers. It was a long way from the Great Hall, but Marie had explored the castle enough to easily find her way there. Callie still had not quite gotten the hang of it.

"That staircase wasn't there before…"

"They MOVE Callie." Marie told her, annoyed. "We've been over this…"

They stepped out into the Entrance Hall and overlooked a gaggle of first years standing in the middle of it, staring open mouthed at the room around them.

"They haven't even been sorted yet." Marie noted. McGonagall was standing in front of them.

"While at Hogwarts your House will be like your Family…"

Callie grinned at Marie hopefully. "Hey, this involves us too!"

Marie almost rolled her eyes. Callie, upon learning of the traditional sorting method used at Hogwarts, had insisted upon being sorted alongside the first years, although they were not students. Marie had balked at the idea, but Dumbledore seemed to like the idea and talked her into it. Ever since Callie had been blabbing non stop about each of the houses, and their personalities and animals associated with them, and the personality that each founder favored in their students. Marie could only give her a blank stare. Callie had been completely uninterested in Hogwarts history until Dumbledore had shoved a personality quiz under her nose, now she probably knew more about each of the houses than Marie did herself.

McGonagall turned and stepped into the hall, letting the first years chatter among themselves, almost certainly about the houses.

Marie was completely content to stay where they were, but Callie was having none of it. "Hey there!" She said cheerfully, as she made her way down the steps. "How do you do?"

Marie groaned inwardly as she followed at a distance, her black robes swishing at her feet as the crowd of first years gave them shocked stares. None of them had ever seen an Inkling before, and it showed in their expressions. Callie, however, had none of it. She proceeded forward, smiling widely, and before long the crowd was enthusiastically chatting with her about the school.

Marie hung back at a distance, her lips pursed. She was just as good as a singer and dancer as Callie, but she often felt a little insecure about how Callie was able to put on a bright smile and have a conversation with anyone, no matter who they were or where they came from. Callie was the far more popular sister at meet and greets and parties. Although Marie admittedly had a far larger following on the internet (Which she attributed to her dry sense of humor and love of cats) that was overall not a huge boon for her career at all.

She had long believed that the only reason she had ever become successful, or even an idol at all, was because Callie could easily carry her through moments like this, where they had to interact with normal people. There was a very good reason Callie was always the first one to speak up in a Splatfest. If Marie had to do it, she would have had no idea what to do or say.

In moments like made Marie feel as if Callie, if she had really wanted to, could have easily pursued a solo career and gone somewhere with it. Marie never would have. She was just like Pearl…. A complete waste of space that had happened to partner with a Squid that complemented her in a way that made her flaws unnoticeable. No critic of Off the Hook would dare criticize Pearl for not being able to sing, just as they would never criticize Marie for not being very friendly with fans.

McGonagall stepped back outside the door, blinking in surprise at the Squid Sisters.

"Ah, Callie, Marie." She greeted. "I take it that you are ready to be sorted as well?"

Callie pumped her fists. "You bet!" She chirped. "It's going to be so much fun!"

Was it really? Marie wondered, as she cast a look at the children surrounding them. Many of them had been nervous when they had approached, but upon hearing Callie's words they know appeared to be a bit more relaxed. She had that effect on people. Agent 3 had told them once that having them phone in and support her during her adventure had calmed her down and focus. Callie had been pleased, but Marie could not help but think of Agent 4, and how she had treated him during the absence of the other members of the SquidBeak Splatoon. She had done nothing but talk down to him and fret over Callie… She had not given him any direction at all.

"Follow me, all of you." McGonagall instructed. "Callie, Marie. Please wait by the door and wait for the Headmaster to introduce you."

She nodded at them and Callie jumped around enthusiastically. Marie rolled her eyes as McGonagall turned and left them alone in the Entrance Hall. They caught a brief glimpse of a vast hall of students and Dumbeldore seated in his spot at the staff table before the door shut behind them.

"You know." Marie said, after a brief moment's silence. "This school is way cooler than ours was."

…

"Now that out sorting of our new students has concluded, I have one, final, special announcement before we can feast."

Harry and his friends stood staring at Dumbledore, expecting talk of Voldemort and what this new year would bring. Instead Dumbledore raised his hand towards the doors.

"I would like to welcome two very interesting guests to our school." He said. "Please, enter."

The large door to the Great Hall swung open. Harry and the entire Hall felt silent as the two… things… entered the room.

Marie felt herself wanting to shirk back from the stares from the crowd. The looks she was getting was far more hostile than she was used to getting in her work as an idol. These people- most of them anyway- had no idea who they were. Marie almost found herself freezing up.

"Hello Hogwarts!" Callie said cheerfully, as she raised her hand upward. "I'm Callie-"

Marie, almost by instinct, found herself taking up a similar pose, a small smile gracing her features. "And I'm Marie…"

"And we're the Squid Sisters!" They said together, as they took that famous pose. Callie smiling widely, while Marie looked almost bored.

"Stay Fresh!"

No one said a word. No one could say a word to something like that. Marie felt herself inwardly feeling even more awkward. What had Callie been thinking? They were not performing here or anything like that. They were simply extremely odd.

Dumbledore began to clap. It was a strange, sudden sound, but soon enough a small round of applause came from all corners of the hall. Callie grinned widely, and began to wave. Marie soon followed suit, following her lead.

The clapping soon came to a stop and Marie allowed herself to relax. Dumbledore smiled down at them warmly and Marie, once again, began to marvel at his unusual kindness and charisma.

"I would all of you to welcome Callie and Marie, the Squid Sisters." Dumbledore said, waving down to them. "They will be living here in this Castle for the foreseeable future. I expect all of you to treat them with kindness and respect."

Callie grinned widely and waved again.

"As it so happens." Dumbledore said, smiling lightly. "We thought it would be an interesting change to have them sorted as well."

He gestured forth McGonagall, who stepped forward. "Callie." She said.

"That's me!" Callie chirped, as she leapt forward and eagerly jammed the hat on her head. She almost jumped as the Hat whispered into her ear.

" _Hm, yes…. Very honest, very genuine. Very outgoing. Very kind. Not too bright, unfortunately…"_

Callie's smile vanquished a bit.

" _But very brave, very brave indeed…. There is no doubt where to put you…."_

" _GRYFINDOR!"_

Callie broke out into a grin as she handed the hat back to McGonagall. The table with the red and gold decorations was clapping the loudest, and Callie went to go sit with them, grinning widely. Immediately people began to surround her and ask her questions. She answered amicably, already looking very much at ease.

Marie felt her heart ache upon seeing it.

"Marie!"

She stepped up to the stool, thanked McGonagall cordially as she took the hat from her, and placed it on her own head.

 _Hmmm…._

She did not move as the voice hit her ear.

" _Very difficult to place, very difficult indeed. You are brave, but practical. You are quite intelligent, but tend to downplay it while around others. You always feel distant and alienated from everyone around you, even your closest confidents. You are always thinking ahead, always planning… very, very ambitious. Cunning. Yes, I see it now. You are an ideal…."_

" _Slytherin!"_

Callie clapped widely as Marie handed the hat back to McGonagall, and as she had been asked by Dumbledore went to go sit with the house she had been sorted into. Slytherin. They looked quite unfriendly compared to the Gryffindors, Marie thought, as she sat down among the green and gold. The people around gave her looks. She stared down at the empty table in front of her and wondered when they would be fed.

Callie, meanwhile, was having the time of her life. "Oh, hello Harry!" She said brightly, as she caught the eye of the Boy Who Lived sitting quietly some distance away. "It's been a while!" She smiled at him. He gave her a relieved smile, but said nothing. Something was bothering him, Callie realized intuitively. His friends were giving him anxious looks as well, although the brown haired girl seemed to be fairly interested in her as well.

"So I'm a Gryffindor now!" Callie chirped, as she looked around at all of her new classmates. "Well, sort of, anyway." She laughed jovially. "No, I won't be rooming with you…. Marie and I have our own room now, actually…."

"So that's your sister, huh?"

Marie looked up to find a blonde haired boy staring at her from across the table. He had not been there before. He must have pushed his way down to her end of the table. The girls sitting on either side of him, both older, were giving him dirty looks.

"Yes." Marie said simply. She was not taken aback by this at all. She had heard it from strangers all of her life. Hardcore fans often had the impression that the 'Sisters' image was mandated by their label, but really it was something that had been following them both for as long as they could remember.

"I'm Draco Malfoy." The boy said, holding out his hand to her. Marie reached forward and took it.

"Marie." She said. "I like your hair."

The silver tentacles on her head wiggled about and shifted color slightly to more closely resemble Draco's hair. She had meant it as a jokey sort of compliment, but Draco seemed to not get it.

"Ah…. Thank you." He said, rather taken aback. Marie tried to keep her face expressionless, but inwardly she was seething. Every time she tried to be nice, it never came off very well.

"So this is Slythein House." Marie said, looking around at the table around them. "I have to say, I'm glad I was sorted into this house. Your house colors are lovely."

As if to emphasize her point her hair started to quickly shift in between silver and green, back and forth, several times. No one smiled or laughed. They merely seemed to be a little taken aback.

Maybe it was time to admit that she would never, ever be popular….

….

"My Lord."

"Ah, Severus…."

Severus kneeled in front of the Dark Lord, his head bent over to show his respect.

"How much does Dumbledore know about these future creatures?"

"Only as much as they have told us. They hail from a time ten thousand years in the future, when all of humanity has gone extinct."

Voldemort said nothing. He was deep in thought.

"A World with humans…." He murmured. "I see."

He stood up, his robes dragging along the floor. "Severus." He said. "I am of the mind that these things must be stopped. We must ensure that their future never comes to pass."

He raised his hand a bright flash of fire appeared there in his palm. "We must venture to this future and see this world for ourselves." Voldemort said. "We will conquer it, if we must. But we cannot allow this Octavio to have his way with our world."


	7. Chapter 7

"Ah nuts!"

A young inkling boy stood outside of the Arcade, scowling, as the words GAME OVER scrolled across his machine.

"NO!" He cried, as he pounded the machine. "It ate my quarter!"

"Give it a rest, Kyle." Another Inkling boy said, grinning widely. "You're not going to be saving Inkopolis from Aliens anytime soon."

Kyle stiffened a little, before giving a small nod. "Y-yeah…" He said slowly. "I guess you're right…."

His friend gave him a strange look as he stepped down from the platform. "What's with you?" He asked, as Kyle stepped past him. "You've been acting so odd lately…"

Kyle shook his head. "No, it's nothing." He claimed. "Hey, want to smash the Pachinko machine?" No one in Inkopolis played the ancient, Metal Gear Pachinko machines from Konami. They simply destroyed them every time a repaired antique unit made its way into the arcade. It was a tradition that was said to predate Inkling society.

The boys joined another group who were preparing to do the same thing, and half an hour later the remains of the machine was lying in pieces on the floor. An Inkling girl scowled at them as they made their way out.

"At least throw the pieces in the trash where it belongs!"

Kyle and his friend stuck their tongues out at her and stepped back into the street.

"So do you want to Turf or what-?"

Before he could finish speaking, the News Jingle began to blare from speakers all around them. As if by instinct, the boys turned to look upward. There, on the giant screen overlooking the city, were two Squids.

"Hey guys!"

"It's Off the Hook coming at you live from Inkopolis Square…"

"Is Marina EVER going to ditch Pearl and go solo?" Kyle's friend complained as Pearl and Marina had yet another nasty back and forth argument about the next upcoming Splatfest, Wizards Vs Squids. "She can't sing!"

Kyle almost opened his mouth to agree, but suddenly a dark skinned girl from in front of them turned around to look at them. His blood ran cold. That was…

"Pearl is a wonderful singer." The girl said quietly. "Even Marina agrees…"

She turned back around and walked away from them. Kyle stared after her, a little surprised that she did not even acknowledge him. His friend eyed her warily.

"These Off the Hook fans are really hardcore." He commented. "They're even getting their tentacles to look like Marina's. How do they do it? Do you know?"

Kyle opened his mouth to answer, but closed it again. He had never realized it himself until it had been explained to him, but these Squids that had been written off by society at large as merely being Inklings imitating Marina's style were not actually Inklings. They were, in fact, Octolings that had escaped from the Underground and begun new lives on the surface. And the girl who they had they had just spoken to had been the one to open the way for them.

"So now that we have the Turf War changes out of the way…. What else do we have to talk about, Pearlie?"

"HUGE NEWS!" Pearl exclaimed, throwing up her hands in shock. "The biggest!"

"The biggest?" Marina repeated, sounding baffled. Kyle almost tuned this bit out. Usually they were just trying to make minor adjustments to Turf War Maps seem more interesting than they actually were.

"Yes." Pearl said, nodding furiously. "This is huge news, so listen up everyone!"

"What is it, what is it?"

"Famous Pop Stars Callie and Marie have been reported as missing!"

Kyle's head snapped to the screen, his mouth open in horror. His friend scoffed and rolled his eyes. "The Squid who now?" He asked derisively. "Who cares?"

"What?" Marina asked, flabbergasted. "Really?"

"Yes!" Pearl said. "Again!"

"Oh yeah." Kyle's friend said to him, tilting his head thoughtfully. "This isn't the first time this has happened, huh? It must be a publicity stunt…"

"No…" Kyle said, surprising him. "It isn't."

Kyle ignored his friend's curious look as he turned his head to the side and, and as he had suspected, he saw a familiar, bright neon yellow squid standing by the grate, staring right at him.

"Hey, I'll catch up with you later…"

"Huh?"

Kyle broke into a run and made his way across the square. The bright neon squid wrapped her cape around her shoulders as he approached.

"Samus." He said breathlessly, as he came to a stop in front of her. She nodded at him.

"Agent 4." She returned. "So you've finally heard, I see."

"Finally?" He exploded. "Were you keeping this from me?"

"We were hoping it would be nothing." Agent 3, Samus, claimed as she shook her head. "We knew where they had gone, and that they hadn't been splatted. It's not unusual for us to go down to the Valley for weeks at a time, after all."

She paused.

"But things have changed." She said. "We believe that Callie and Marie are in grave danger."

…

The Squidbeak Splatoon had expanded considerably in the past two years. Following DJ Octavio's attempts at stealing the Great Zapfish, Cap'n Cuttlefish had begun taking it upon himself to recruit talented squids into fighting back against the Octarians.

First had been his own Grand Daughters, Callie and Marie. Talented turf war battlers, beloved idols, and fantastic secret agents. They had served his cause to their best of their abilities. However as their responsibilities and popularity began to get the better of them, they were unable to retrieve the Great Zapfish themselves. In an act of desperation, Cap'n Cuttlefish had hit the streets of Inkopolis, begging for help.

By sheer, dumb luck he had discovered Agent 3. An Inkling girl who had grown bored of Turf War battling and wanted something with a bit more of an edge to it. She had been brought on with no idea what she was getting into, and had exceeded all possible expectations. She defeated Octavio, took back the Great Zapfish, and began working more closely with him on other matters of National Security.

So closely, in fact, that she was with him during the abduction of the Great Zapfish and Callie's abduction, forcing Marie to bring in another random Inkling… Kyle, Agent 4. Although nowhere near as talented or eager to fight as Agent 3, he had managed to pull through and get back the Great Zapfish.

And finally… the final member of their growing posse (And admittedly Cuttlefish's personal favorite) Agent 8. Born and raised to be a child soldier for the Octarians, Octavio's humiliating defeats (Coupled with experiencing the magic of the Calamari Inkantation) led her to defect, following a vicious battle with Agent 3. Although she had completely lost her memory of the Octarians, she had escaped from the Underground with the help of Cap'n Cuttlefish and their friends, Off the Hook, and immediately upon reaching the surface fought off an ancient, primordial evil. She had joined the Squidbeak Splatoon in hopes of freeing more of her kind, and as time went on… more and more Octolings began to make their way to the surface. The ball had started rolling for real. Because of her efforts, the conflict between the Inklings and Octolings would finally come to an end. Cap'n Cuttlefish slowly was beginning to understand that their enemies were not the Octolings, but the man who had been brainwashing them for over a hundred years. Octavio.

"They've been missing that long?" Agent 4 exploded. "Just why was I not told this?" He looked genuinely upset. Agent 4 shook her head, her long yellow squid tails flopping around in front of her.

"Calm down, Kyle." She said, her voice somewhat sharp. "Panicking is not going to bring them back. Octavio would never kill them. He would want to humiliate them first."

Kyle nodded, remembering just how panicked Marie had been about Callie's unexpected disappearance when he first joined the Splatoon. Although she had tried not to show it, she was horrified at the thought of losing her cousin. But in the end, it had turned out that Octavio had merely brainwashed her and set her against him. Both Agent 3 and 8 had been brainwashed at some point as well… Agent 8 in particular had apparently been brainwashed her entire life before hearing the Calamari Inkantation, It seemed to be the typical move for Octavio to pull. To use his enemies rather than get rid of them.

"They are still alive, I'm sure." Samus went on to say, as she glanced at Eight. "Do you have anything to add, Eight?"

Eight was staring out of the window absently, taking in the surrounding area. She did not answer. Samus sighed, shaking her head.

"So." Samus said. "What is our first order of business?"

The group fell silent.

"I…. do not believe there is any other way." Cap'n Cuttlefish said slowly. "But… we're going to have to send you down there. To where they disappeared." Agent 4 recoiled from him in horror. Agent 3 narrowed in eyes, and even Eight turned to face them, her expression unreadable.

"Down there?" Kyle said, his voice low. "To where they disappeared?"

"Yes." Cap'n Cuttlefish said slowly. "We need to find out what happened to them."

Samus immediately stepped forward, brandishing her Tentakek shot. "I'll do it-"

"No, I will!" Kyle snapped at her. "Stay out of it!" They glared at each other. Agent 3 icily, but 4 with a fiery passion.

Eight stayed out of it, her head bent. The SquidBeak Splatoon was still not entirely sure of what they had to do.

…

Octavio laughed to himself as he stared into the bright colors of the Great Time Orb. Everything, so far, was going according to plan. Callie and Marie were still unaccounted for, but Octavio was sure that they would pop up, out of nowhere, when he made his move to take over the planet.

Once he established himself here, he would migrate all of his people into this new planet. He would have them exterminate all of humankind, and take over the world before the accursed Inklings could even appear. If only he knew just where Calllie and Marie were, and what they were doing… everything would be perfect.

He was confident that they weren't dead. It was only a matter of time until they resurfaced again.

"Soon…" Octavio murmured, as he stared deep into the Time Orb. "I will have everything I have ever wanted.

From the shadows, watching him from some distance away, stood a cloaked figure who looked on at him with an amused expression. He had not noticed her, for the entire time she had been standing there, watching him.

"Oh, poor little fool." Bellatrix Lestrange whispered, as she stepped closer to him. "He has no idea what he has gotten himself into…"

…

A/N:

The Octo Pass DLC is amazing. Play it.


End file.
